Mobile World Congress: 2010
Mobile World Congress: 2010 took place on 15-18 February, held in Barcelona, Spain. About the event The GSMA Mobile World Congress 2010 (formerly 3GSM World Congress) is the largest global mobile event in the world and attracts around 50.000 professional visitors in Barcelona every year to do business, to discuss the latest trends in the mobile communications industry, and to participate in the future of mobile communications. The event included the 15th Annual Global Mobile Awards which were presented at a ceremony on Tuesday, 16 February at the Palau Nacional in Montjuïc. The ceremony was hosted by writer, actor Stephen Fry and featured a performance by Duran Duran. Tickets cost €200 euros for GSMA pass holders. The Global Mobile Awards recognise excellence, achievement and innovation in mobile communications. Twenty-three awards were given in 11 categories, including Mobile Entertainment and Mobile Advertising and Marketing. The day after Duran Duran's performance on 16 February, Nick Rhodes delivered a keynote outlining the band's views on mobile technology and beyond. Setlist #"A View to a Kill" #"Hungry Like the Wolf" #"Notorious" #"Come Undone" #"The Reflex" #"Ordinary World" #"(Reach Up for The) Sunrise" #"The Wild Boys" #"Rio" Personnel Duran Duran are: *Simon Le Bon - vocals *John Taylor - bass guitar *Nick Rhodes - keyboards *Roger Taylor - drums With: *Dominic Brown - guitar Keynote by Nick Rhodes UK Technology LIVE featured an audience with Duran Duran member Nick Rhodes, who delivered a keynote speech at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on 17 February 2010. In a wide-ranging chat with head of the Mobile Entertainment Forum, Ralph Simon, Rhodes gave a lot of thought to the opportunities opening up to artists, musicians and creatives wanting to share their work with the biggest audiences possible via mobile devices and new distribution platforms. Simon asked Rhodes more about the Duran Duran's new album, which he is currently producing with producer Mark Ronson and, specifically, how mobile factors into the plans for the project. “Well artists always work with all sorts of new technology – right from the very beginning with radio, TV and more recently internet – but they haven’t yet properly engaged that much with mobile phones, I think,” said Rhodes. “I mean, we’ve all had flirtations with ringtones and we’ve done downloading of tracks and video clips but we haven’t really yet got into the integrated 3G systems and learning how to use that technology to its best potential. What is starting to happen now is that artists are starting to realise that the mobile audience is bigger than the online audience worldwide – more people have phones now than have computers.” So how is Rhodes using mobile social media and mobile social networking to tap into his audience and to find new audiences? “Well we are starting to look at it properly this time. Obviously we have all the things we need to have online – the MySpace, the Facebook, Twitter and the growing number of things in that space – which is already a lot to actually service with new content. But all of this really does focus your attention on the fact that mobile phones are now the greatest conduit into massive audiences worldwide.” Rhodes has been particularly interested in developing augmented reality mobile applications in order to engage his audience in a much deeper way than he has previously been able to. “We look at mobile as a box of tools – and with mobile now there is just a lot more that you can do than you were ever able to do before. So when we have content we are looking at new ways to distribute it, but also always looking at new ways to break it up, to make interactive elements and augmented reality was actually first used in our live show back in 1997.” When Duran Duran first broke in the UK back in the early 1980s they were pioneers of the music video format. Nowadays one of the things that Rhodes finds fascinating is the fact that mobile, “gives the audience the opportunity to create their own clips, or to do remixes for your music and those kinds of things that mobile technology now makes available. “The opportunities now are pretty extraordinary with phones and we are looking to work with difference mobile operators on very specific projects. And we are always looking to push the technology forward a little bit more, too.” Rhodes had close links with Andy Warhol before he died and he has always been a very visual artist, in addition to a pop musician. So are there any new mobile entertainment forms that he is working with in the visual arena? “Absolutely. Again, there are load of new opportunities opening up and we have always worked with the best people in graphic design, in mixed media – and collaborating for specific project on mobile is a key part of what we are doing right now.” Overall, Rhodes is very sanguine about the opportunities opening up for artists on mobile. “It is a brave new world out there… you try things and, as with any new product, sometimes it hits the spot and other times… well, you are not always going to write music that does. People let you know soon enough!” Category:Concerts